Manufacture of shoes



Feb. 29, 1944. MI ER 2,342,815

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Nov, 6, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 29, 1944. M|NER 2,342,815

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Nov. 6, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 QE M Feb. 29, 1944. MINER MANUFACTURE OF SHOES s sheeis sheet 3 Filed Nov. 6, 1942 Patented Feb. 29, 1944 MANUFACTURE OF SHOES George A. Miner, Manchester, N. H., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 6, 1942, Serial No. 464,771

8 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and is particularly concerned with improvements in the manufacture and construction of the toe portions of shoes.

The invention has for its object to provide a novel toe construction for shoes which is adapted for embodiment in work shoes or the like where it is desired to provide a reinforced, wear-resistant toe construction capable of withstanding hard usage and affording protection for the toes of the wearer, and in sport or novelty shoes where it is desired to incorporate distinctive style features as well as to provide an exceptionally strong and. sturdy toe construction.

The shoes herein illustrated are of Goodyear welt construction and in external appearance they differ in no respect from conventional welt shoes except in their toe portions where the usual open welt crease and projecting outsole edge has been eliminated by the employment of an exter-.

nal toe cap having a lower marginal extension which bridges the welt crease and covers the edge of the outsole. In one illustrated embodiment of the invention the extension of the toe cap is received within peripherally reduced or recessed portions of the welt and the outsole so that the outer surface of the extension lies flush with the unreduced portions of the welt and the outsole edge which are exposed to view rearwardly of the toe cap. As shown, also, the toe cap is firmly an-v chored to the outsole and the plainness of the exterior of the toe cap is relieved by the provision of a corner-stitched seam which unites the toe cap extension and the outsole and substantially increases the security of attachment of the outsole to the shoe.

Various features of construction of my improved shoe and the novel method practised in the manufacture of the same will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the forepart of a shoe constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the forepart of the shoe; I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in cross-section taken along the line IIIIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the forepart of the shoe;

Fig. 5 is a. perspective view of the forepart of the shoe, showing it as it appears before the toe cap has been conformed to the shape of the previously lasted portions of the upper; I

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the forepart of the shoe illustrating the operation of conforming the toe cap;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the forepart of: the finished shoe;

Figs. Sand 9 are views in longitudinal section of the foreparts of shoes illustrating modified constructions; and

Figs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary sectional views taken, respectively, along the lines XX and XI-XI of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, illustrate my invention as embodied in a shoe the upper of which comprises an outer layer or. vamp 12, an inner layer or lining M, an intermediate layer or doubler l6, a toe stiffener l8 which is interposed between the lining l4 and the doubler I6, and an external toe cap 29. .The vamp l2 and the toe cap 20 are preferably composed of leather, and for, the purpose of leather conservation the vamp l2, as shown, is cut short so that it extends forwardly only a short distance beyond the rear edge of the toe cap 29. The shoe comprises also an insole 22, a welt 24 and an outsole 26, each of these members being of the type commonly employed in Welt shoes, the insole be-, ing shown as having the usual marginal stitch- 1 receiving rib formed upon its lower side. In the portion of the shoe rearwardly of the toe'cap 28, as shown in Fig. 3, the welt 24, together with the lower margins of the vamp l2, the lining l4, and the doubler l6, are secured by means of inseam stitches 30 to the rib 28 of the insole. In the toe portion of the shoethe welt 24, together with the margins of the lining and doubler and the margin of the toe stiffener l8, are secured to the insole rib 28 by the inseam stitches 30, as shown in Fig. 2'. The lower margin of the toe cap at, however, extends downwardly over the outer edge of the welt 24 and over the edge of the outsole 26/ The outsole 26 is attached by means of outseam stitches 32 to the welt 24. The margin of the toe cap 20 is secured to the edges'of the welt and the outsole by cement, as indicated at 34, and by means of comer seam stitches 36. The toe cap 20 is preferably secured to the forward margin of the upper or vamp l 2 by stitches 38 which extend also through the lining l4 and doubler l6. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 both the welt and the outsole are trimmed closer around the toe of the shoe than elsewhere so that the toe cap, when overl pped upon these parts, will be disposed with its outer surface flush with the edge surfaces of the welt and the outsole which are exposed to view rearwardly of the toe cap, this condition being clearly shown in Fig. 7. The lower edge of the toe cap is flush with the tread face of the outsole as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be noted that the toe cap bridges the welt crease of the shoe from the toe tip line at one side of the shoe to the tip line at the opposite side and. thus provides a construction in which there is no projection of the sole edge beyond the upper in the toe portion of the shoe. In this locality, therefore, there is no open welt crease to receive accumulations of dirt and debris such as would cause the shoe to present an untidy and unsightly appearance.

In preparing the upper materials for a shoe constructed as above described a full length lining and a full length doubler are employed, these parts being cut with the usual lasting allowance. The vamp [2, however, is cut short so as. to have substantially no toe portion. The toe cap 20 is cut' with sufiicient allowance along its forward and lateral margins so that in the making of the shoe these margins can be laid over the edges of the welt and the outsole and trimmed flush with the tread face of the outsole. The toe cap, in a flat or unconformed condition, is secured to the vamp I2 by means of the stitches 38' which extend through the doubler and the lining and which, as shown, are confined to the central portion of the rear margin of the toe cap, i. e., the stitched seam terminates a substantial distance inwardly from each lateral edge of the toe cap, thus leaving the toe portions of the. lining and the doubler free to be conformed to the last independently of the toe cap.

The upper comprising the vamp [2, the, lining I4, the doubler l6, and the attached toe cap 20 are assembled with the insole 22' upon a last 42,, the toe stiffener 18 (which may be made of any suitable stiff material and which may be premolded' if desired) is inserted between the lining and the doubler and all these component parts of the. upper except the toe cap are lasted in the usual way. The lasting of the upper materials at the sides of the forepart and in the shank portion of the shoe may be performed, for example, by means of aconventional staple side lasting machine and the lasting at the toe of the shoe may be performed by the use of a bed lasting machine, the overlasted margins being secured to the insole in the usual manner.

The shoe is now ready for the welt stitching operation by means of which the overlasted margins of the upper materials, together with the welt 24, are secured to the lip 28 of the: insole by means of the inseam stitches an. The insole rib 28 and the inseam materials are trimmed and a suitable filler 44 is applied to fill the bottom cav ity inwardly of the insole rib. The outsole 26 is laid and temporarily secured in place. by cement in the usual manner. Th'eoutsole 26 is then permanently'at-tached to the welt 24 by the outseam stitches 32. In, thev sewing of the outseam the shoe is preferably tipped relatively tov the sewing instrumentalities while operating around the toe to cause the stitches to extend somewhat obliquely through the welt and the. outsole, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the stitches will be inclined downwardly and inwardly from the upper face of thewelt to provide. ample: space between the outsea-m stitches and the. edge of the outsole for the reception of the stitches 36 of the corner seam which is later to be sewn for the purpose of securing. the. toe cap to the outsole. The outsole and the welt are now rough rounded and thereafter the portions of these parts in the toe of the shoe are peripherally reduced or cut away to enable the lower margin of the toe cap to be disposed with its outer surface in line or flush with the unreduced edge portions of the welt and the outsole which are located just rearwardly oi the toe cap. This reducing operation may be accomplished by cutting slits in the edges of the outsole and the welt at opposite sides of the shoe in line with the rear edge of the toe cap to form shoulder cuts 46 (Figs. 4, 5 and 7) and then removing from the portions of the welt and the outsole which are forward of the shoulder cuts a rand-like strip 48 (Fig. 5) corresponding in thickness to that of the. toe cap.

The toe cap 20 which still remains unattached to the rest of the shoe upper parts, except by the stitches 38in the central rear margin only of the cap, and which is in the unshaped condition in which it appearsin Fig. 5, is now to be conformed to the already lasted toe portions of the doubler and the lining and secured in place with its lower margin overlying the edge of the outsole. These conforming and securing operations may be car ried out by hand or they may be accomplished by the use of a bed lasting machine. Before they are performed, however, the inner side of the toe cap is preferably coated with suitable cement, for example, rubber cement, and cement is applied to the toe portion of the lasted doubler i5 and to the peripherally reduced edges of the welt and the outsole. The operation of conforming the toe cap and securing it in place, as performed by the use of the bed lasting machine, is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the shoe is shown with its toe portion clamped against a toe rest liil' by means of a holddown finger 52. In the operation of the machine the toe wipers, one of which is indicated at 54, are positioned so that their inner edges engage the toe cap at opposite sides of the shoe at a substantial distance. below the welt, whereupon the machine is operated to raise the wipers and thereby to tension the toe cap and wipe it upwardly over the toe portion of the lasted upper and over the edges of the welt and the outsole. The wipers 52 may then be backed oil and the wiping operations repeated if necessary to conform. the toe cap closely to the upper so that it will, lie smoothly thereon. The surplus toe cap material 56 which extends beyond the outsole is then trimmed flush with the tread face of the sole and the shoe is ready for the sewing of the corner seam 36. This seam may be sewn by means of a sewing machine of the type disclosed, for example, in United States Letters Patent No. 1 614,!144, granted January 11, 1927, upon application of Reid, Bates and Ricks.

The corner seam 35 provides a sturdy and permanent anchorage for the lower margin of the toe cap, holding it securely against the edge of the outsole while the cement. 34 prevents the lower extremity of the toe cap from peeling away from the sole. The stitches of the corner seam, where they are visible upon the outer surface of the toe cap, aflord an attractive and decorative appearance to the toe portion of the shoe. The rear margin of the toe cap 20' is firmly secured to the vamp l2 by the stitches 38 at the upper portion of the toe while in the region be low the stitches the margin of the toe cap is see cured tightly to the vamp by the cement which is employed between these parts. A small amount of plastic filler 58 may be employed to seal any opening which may be present between the toe cap and the vamp in the immediate vicinity of the welt crease. I

A shoe made as above described has an especially strong and sturdy toe portion, the shoe embodying in that portion as well as elsewhere the advantageous features of Goodyear welt construction but having no projecting sole edge which, by engagement with parts of machinery or other obstructions likely to be encountered by the workman in the course of his duties, might tend to cause the outsole to be torn off from the shoe and the shoe having no open welt crease at the toe to afford lodgement for the dirt or debris which is invariably present'in factories or other places of employment where heavy work is being done. The herein-described features of shoe construction also may advantageously be embodied in shoes for military use and such shoes are particularly Well adapted for useby parachutists, the thick tough toe caps affording protection for a parachute jumper when he is being dragged along the ground by the parachut in the act of landing. In such cases the toe construction enables the parachutist to drag the toes of his shoes to spill the air from the parachute without danger of having his feet injured or having the soles of his shoes torn oil by the engagement of obstacles within the Welt crease.

Moreover, the features of toe construction may advantageously be embodied in sport shoes of various sorts or other novelty shoes for either men or women where it is desired that the shoe shall be distinctive from the standpointof style. The arrangement of the toe cap is such that it bridges the welt creas and. overlies the outsole edge and presents a smoothly rounded outer surface that is flush with the sole edge in the ball portion of the shoe, the provision of an ornamental corner-stitched seam along the lower margin of the toe cap for anchoring the toe cap to the outsole and relieving the plainness of the rounded toe cap exterior being a feature which is unusual and distinctive and which tends to make the shoes readily saleable as novelty shoes.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 8 an external toe cap 280 is employed which may be made of leather or other material which is substantially thicker and stiffer than that employed in making the toe cap shown in the preceding figures. With such a toe cap the toe portion of the shoe upper may be sufficiently stiffened and reinforced without the use of an internal toe stiffener or box toe. As shown, the toe cap 200 is securedby an all-over coating of cement 60 to a full length vamp or upper I29 and the lower margin of the toe cap is firmly secured by a comer-stitched seam 360 to a tap sole 62 which, together with a full length outsole 260, is secured by outseam stitches 320 to the welt 24 of the shoe.

In Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, there is shown a further modification in which a thick external toe cap 282 is employed the lower marginal portion of which overlaps the edge of the welt of the shoe but does not overlie the edge of the outsole. In this construction the welt 240 is trimmed short of the edge of the outsole around the toe, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, by an amount equal to the thickness of the toe cap, the well: extending to the edge of the outsole, however, rearwardly of the toe cap, as shown in Fig. 11. The toe cap 202 may be made of a piece of colloid treated or pyroxylin impregnated fabric such. for example, as heavy weight cotton cloth coated or impregnated with nitrocellulose. Preferably the toe cap is softened, as by means of a suitable solvent, for example, acetone, and then lasted or conformed over the upper, the material being thereafter allowed to harden and to become secured to the upper by its inherent adhesive properties. Thereafter the toe cap is trimmed along a line flush with the upper surface of the outsole 262. The toe cap may, however, be premolded to or substantially to the shape of the toe portion of the upper and thereafter secured in place by means of cement. As shown, the lower marginal portion of the toe cap 202 is secured by corner stitches 352 to the outsole. To provide a firm support or backing for the portion of the toe cap which bridges the crease between the welt and the upper a filler 62, which may consist of hardened plastic material, is provided in the welt crease around the toe portion ofthe shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: p

1. That improvement in the manufacture of welt shoes which consists in providing a toe cap having a marginal allowance for overlappin the edge of the outsole of a shoe, assembling said toe cap in overlapped relation to the outer side of a shoe upper and securing said parts together only in a locality remote from the forward and lateral marginal portions of th toe cap, mounting the upper and toe cap assembly, together with an insole, upon a last, working the upper but not the toe cap over the last and securing the margin of the upper, together with a welt, to the insole, securing an outsole to the welt, thereafter reducing the outer edge of the welt and the edge of the outsole in the toe portion of the shoe thereby forming marginal notches in said edges extending rearwardly to points in line with the rear edge of the toe cap, conforming the toe cap to the shape of the last, fitting the forward and lateral margins of the toe cap within said notches, and securing said margins to the edge 5' of the outsole.

2. That improvement in the manufacture of welt shoes which consists in assembling a toe cap and an upper and attaching the central portion only of the rear margin of the cap to the upper, mounting the upper and the attached cap together with a lipped insole on a last, workin the upper, but not the toe cap, over the last and securing the margin of the upper, together with a welt, to the lip of the insole by inseam stitches, securing an outsole to the welt by outseam stitches, peripherally reducing the outsole and the welt around that portion only of'the shoe which is covered by the toe cap, conforming the toe cap to the lasted upper, wiping the marginal allowance of the top cap over the reduced edges of the welt and the outsole, and securing the toe cap to the outsole.

3. That improvement in th manufacture of welt shoes which consists in assembling a, toe cap and an upper and attaching the central portion only of the rear margin of the cap to the upper, said cap having a, lateral marginal allowance for overlapping the edge face of the outsole of a shoe, mounting the upper and the attached cap together with a lipped insole on a last, working the upper, but not the toe cap, over the last and securing the margin of the upper, together with a welt, to the lip of the insole by inseam stitches, securing an outsole to 1 the welt b outseam stitches, rough rounding the outsole and the welt,

forming. slits in the edges of, the outsole and the welt at opposite sides of the shoe in, line with the rear edge of. the toe cap,- cutting away the edge o1? the outsole and the outer edgeof the welt forwardly of said slits an amount equal to the thickness of the toe cap thereby providing peripheral notches in said parts forwardly of said slits to receive the marginal allowance of the, toe cap, thereafter conforming the toe cap to the lasted upper and securing it thereto by means of adhesive, fitting said marginal allowance-within said notches with its outer surface flush with the edge faces of the welt and the outsole rearwardly of the toe cap, trimming the margin of the toe cap flush with the tread face of the outsole, and securing the toe cap to the outsole. by stitches located outwardly of said outseam and extending diagonally with respect to the outsole edge.

4. A welt shoe comprising a ribbed insole, an upper and a welt secured by inseam stitches to the rib f the insole, said welt being trimmed close to the welt crease to extend only a short distance outwardly therefrom around the toe portion only of the shoe, an outsole having the edge of its toe portion flush with said, close trimmed edge portion of th welt, an outseam securing the outsole to the welt, the stitches of said outseam sloping inwardly from the welt crease to the tread face of the outsole to provide an outsole seam allowance of substantial width outwardly of said stitches, an external toe capsecured to said upper, said cap bridging the welt crease and coverin the outer edge of the welt andthe edge of the outsole, and a corner seam securing the toe cap to the outsole, the stitches of said corner seam extendin through the edge face of the outsole into said outsole seam allowance in spaced relation to said outseam stitches.

5. In a welt shoe, in combination, an upper, a welt, an insole, inseam stitches securing said parts together, an outsole secured b outseam stitches to the welt, the outsole having a peripheral notch extending around it toe portion, the opposite ends of the notch being defined by shoulders in line with the toe tip line of the shoe and the welt having a notch in its outer margin corresponding to that in th outsole, a toe cap overlying the toe portion of the upper and bridgin the crease between the upper and the welt,

said toe cap havin a lower extension fitting within said notches with the outer surfaces of the rear portions of said extension flush with the edge faces of the welt and the outsole in the ball portion of the shoe, and corner stitches located outwardly of said outseam stitches and extending through the edge face of the outsole for securing said toe cap extension to the notched margin of the outsole.

6. A Welt shoe comprising a, ribbed insole, an upper and a welt secured by inseam stitches to th rib oi the insole, said welt being trimmed close to the welt crease to extend only a short distance outwardly therefrom around the toe portion only of the shoe, a full length outsole having the edge of its toe portion flush with said close trimmed edge portion of the welt, a forepart tap sole, an outseam securing said outsole and said tap sole to the welt, the stitches of said outseam sloping inwardly from the welt crease to the tread face of said tap sole to provide a tap sole seam allowance of substantial width outwardly of said stitches, an external toe cap secured to said upper, said cap bridging the welt crease and covering the outer edge of the welt and the edges of said outsole and said tap sole, and a corner seam securing the lower marginal portion of said cap to said tap sole,

the stitches of said corner seam. being anchored in said seam allowance in spaced relation to said outseam stitches.

'7. In a, welt shoe, in combination, an upper, a welt, and an insole secured together by inseam stitches, an outsole secured by outseam stitches to the welt, the outer edge of the welt being spaced inwardly from the edge of the outsole at the, toe

of the shoe, a toe cap covering the upper and the outer edge of the welt and having its lower edge abutting the upper marginal face of the outsole, a corner seam securing the toe cap to the outsole, and hardened plastic material filling the crease between the upper and the welt at the toe of the shoe and providing a solid backing for the toe cap in the region opposite the welt crease.

8. A welt shoe comprising an upper, a welt, an insole, inseam stitches securing said parts together, an outsole secured to said welt by outseam stitches, said welt being trimmed short of said outsole around the toe of the shoe and the stitches of said outseam sloping inwardly from the upper face of the welt to the tread face of the outsole to provide an outsole seam allowance of substantial Width outwardl Of said stitches,

an external toe cap secured to said upper, said cap bridging the welt crease and covering the trimmed edge of the welt and having its lower edge abutting the upper face of said outsole, and a corner seam securing the lower margin of said toe cap to the outsole, the stitches of said corner seam being anchored in said outsole seam allowance in spaced relation to said outseam stitches.

GEORGE A. MINER. 

